Lecture 16 Recap: Osmoregulation and Nitrogen Waste

These flashcards cover key vocabulary related to osmoregulation and nitrogen waste in animal physiology as discussed in the lecture notes.

Osmoregulator

An organism that maintains a different osmotic pressure in its body fluids compared to the external environment.

Osmoconformer

An organism whose body fluids have an osmotic pressure that matches the external environment.

Stenohaline Environment

An environment with a narrow range of osmotic conditions, such as deep sea habitats.

Euryhaline Environment

An environment that experiences large fluctuations in osmotic conditions, like the intertidal zone.

Ammonia (NH3)

A highly soluble nitrogen waste product that is toxic at low concentrations and primarily excreted by aquatic organisms.

Urea

A less toxic nitrogen waste compound created by the body, which conserves water but requires more energy to produce compared to ammonia.

Uric Acid

A nitrogen waste product that is non-toxic, requires less water for excretion, and is often solid; common among terrestrial animals.

Ureotelic Animals

Animals that primarily excrete urea as their nitrogen waste.

Ammoniotelic Animals

Animals that primarily excrete ammonia as their nitrogen waste.

Uricotelic Animals

Animals that primarily excrete uric acid as their nitrogen waste.